H A R E F L I G H T
"Juncostar?" The soft voice of Hareflight echoed as she took a small step into the Leader's Den. "I-I'm sorry to bother you, but I was w-wondering if you had a moment to talk." She moved further into the den, ears twitching absentmindedly as she listened for any response from him. She knew she would have to put this delicately but... how? Juncostar's behaviour had been... concerning since his return from the Moonpool. He seemed to be distracted, forgetting things and uncharacteristically sharp. At times it seemed his lighthearted character was gone entirely. Perhaps it was the weight his new name and lives carried... Hareflight didn't quite know what it was, but she was worried. As a medicine cat and as a friend.
"I just wanted to check on you. Y-Y-you haven't been... well, e-entirely like yourself recently a-and..." She pursed her lips, ears bending back slightly. "I'm worried about you. A-Are you feeling okay? Y-You know it's never a bother to come s-see Waspsight or I, we are a-always happy to have you. We.... We just need to know." She frowned, her bi-coloured eyes filled with pleading that if something was wrong Juncostar would tell her. She had been medicine cat long enough, she had earned enough of the trust of her clanmates to know when something was wrong... hadn't she? She just wanted to help. "C-Can we talk about it? ...P-Please."
H A R E F L I G H T
She listened to him patiently, raising a brow at what he said but quickly shaking this off and offering him a reassuring smile. "I-It's okay! You d-don't have to worry, we- we'll figure this out. I-It honestly just helps if you're w-willing to work with us." Hareflight shuffled her paws, humming softly. "A-A few of us noticed that you s-seem to be forgetting things. Does that s-sound right?" Hareflight waited patiently for a moment, making sure to give him a smile and a nod if he hesitated at all. "H-Honestly, a lot of your... symptoms s-seem like they could be related to stress. H-Have you been feeling more stressed s-since coming back from the Moonpool? M-Maybe leadership a-and the official title h-has hit you hard a-along with other life events?" Her brows furrowed slightly into a slightly sad expression as she watched him.
"I-If it's j-just stress, well, we c-can deal with that. We can m-make a plan to take some o-of the stress off your shoulders." Gritting her teeth slightly, she let a light laugh out, thinking about ShadowClan's smart yet... chaotic deputy. "We... Can figure out a way to have M-Mellowfrost handle some more of the d-duties if you need t-to relax a little." Hareflight relaxed slightly, offering him a kind smile. "Stress... I know a-a thing or t-two about stress. W-We can handle stress. We can w-work on it. I j-just want to make sure it's n-not something more serious, y-you know?" She sighed softly, moving to bump him gently in his shoulder as a reassuring gesture. "Things will be okay."
Juncostar
shadowclan leader
Juncostar had taken a chance to slip into his den, hoping to catch a quick nap and escape the cold. He lay curled in his nest, but was unable to sleep. He'd had a busy morning, and his mind was racing. He was just ready to give up on sleeping when he found the perfect excuse to get up. Upon hearing Hareflight's voice at the entrance of his den, the tom's ears perked up and he pushed himself up to greet her. "Come on in," he responded, a goofy grin settling on his lips as she did so. "You're not bothering me at all," he reassured her, "'Was just about to come out anyway."
His brows furrowed, however, when the medicine cat began explaining why she'd come. He was tempted to brush it off with a joke, but something told him now probably wasn't the best time for humor. He patted the ground beneath him with a single paw in discomfort, averting his eyes. "I..." he began, trailing off with a grimace. He'd certainly been getting looks, and cats were starting to get distant, but for the life of him Juncostar couldn't figure out why. Had he actually been acting different? Maybe losing Tigershadow had hit him harder than he'd realized... "Hareflight, I don't know what every-cat's talking about. Really," he pressed, shaking his head and turning his eyes back on the she-cat.